Among the charged particle beam devices typified by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a device used for a measurement and inspection of semiconductor devices often uses a conveying robot for conveying a sample taken out from a sample cassette, such as a SMIP pod for holding plural samples, as far as a load lock chamber via a device called a mini-environment for forming an air cleaning space. The load lock chamber is used for performing a preliminary evacuation from an atmospheric environment so that the sample is introduced into a sample chamber maintaining a vacuum in the SEM.
The conveying robot includes types such that the sample is supported from below thereof (Patent Literature 1), the sample is conveyed with it absorbed by an electrostatic absorption etc. (Patent Literature 1), and the sample is held from its sides thereof as a mechanism (Patent Literature 2).